Shadows Of The Past: Turning the Clock
by TheBrokenGirl
Summary: 'Jackson wasn't always the happiest of children. I mean, growing up in an orphanage is hard.' It's finally here, the prequel of Shadows of The Past: The Blue Jays.


**Shadows of The Past**

Book 2: Turning the Clock

Chapter 1: The Forgotten Birthday

Jackson wasn't always the happiest child. On the stormy night of his birth he kept the whole ward awake with his screaming. Alice was a very peaceful one; opened her blue eyes for a few moments before falling into a slumber.

Their mother was only eighteen when the two of them were born, not able to make enough money to feed herself. She looked down upon the two children, mouth agape at how beautiful they looked, then turning away in shame as she wouldn't be able to provide what they would need. When her children were taken away to where most newborns were kept, a middle aged man offered her nine thousand dollars for them; she couldn't refuse. That morning, the ward was silenced of Jackson's cries and not even of his twin sisters breathing, Alice, was heard.

It was a dark and gloomy place, seventeen children stood at the windows of the orphanage, pressing their grimy faces against the glass. In Peter Ranchford's arms were two small bundles, one blue and one pink. The man stepped into the threshold, face twisted into a menace grin before thrusting the babies into the arms of a fifteen year old boy and girl. These children had been living inside the dreadful place their whole lives, and when they reached the age of sixteen, they were forced to leave.

"You are to take care of them until you leave, and then you must pass it onto the person of the next age," Peter told them as he loomed over, looking into the eyes of all the children. With a smirk he turned around and made his way to his quarters. In an instant, everyone crowded around the two babies, pushing each other around to get a better look.

"What should we name them?" an eleven year old asked, holding onto the baby girls hands.

"What as that movie that we watched the other week?" a sweet six year old girl asked. The eldest girl looked down at the children, before looking back at the babies.

"Alice in Wonderland," she said.

"Then we should name her Alice," the six year old carried on.

"That we shall," the older girl lifted the baby girl above her head, laughing the way she yawned.

"What about the boy?" the eldest boy asked, looking down at the bundle in his hand.

"You can name him," the six year old said.

"He will be called Jackson, for that is what I was told my father's name was," he said. Two of the three maids that worked at the orphanage took the bundles from their grasps, walking away quietly to take them to the bathing quarters.

"Who will look after them when we're gone, Elise?" the elder boy asked her. Elise looked at him with troubled eyes.

"They'll be taken care of Ashton and Luke. They're trouble makers, Alex."

"We'll teach them a lesson before we leave, so they know how to actually care for a child," Alex replied to her, shooing away the younger children.

"They're not going to live a peaceful life," Elise mourned, dreading the future for the two small children.

"Neither of us have, what makes them any different?" Alex questioned her.

"I just have a feeling that they will grow up in anger," Elise said, her eyes glassing over at the thought.

"We all have," Alex clapped her on the shoulder, pulling her towards the dormitories. "Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow we will be parents."

A day they would both dread.

Upstairs, two of the maids were cleaning the babies, wrapping them in warm cloth to keep them from freezing.

"He is cruel," one of them stated.

"He can be kind," the other trailed off.

"He treats them as slaves."

"Yes, I guess so," she agreed. "Where are they sleeping tonight?"

"They will sleep with us." The two carried the children to their quarters, a dank room which smelt old and dusty. Cobwebs hung off the walls and a small window that would only catch the morning sun for an hour. The woman pushed two beds together, placing the two small children in the middled before curling up around them.

"I'm quitting tomorrow, Sandra." One of them had whispered.

Sandra let out a soft yawn. "Okay, Tash. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Back downstairs, Elise and Alex were discussing how they were going to care for the children for the next six months.

"We're going to tell Peter what type of food we will need to buy, because they wouldn't eat what we do," Alex told her.

"Will he even listen to us?" Elise asked him. Alex's eyebrows knotted for a moment, thinking about the question.

"He will, he has to, or he will lose two more," he replied.

"I'm still scared for them," she whispered.

He took her hand in his, rubbing the back of her hand. "I know." He kissed her cheek softly before standing up and clapping his hands. "Alright kids," he said out loud, "Time for bed." Less than half of the kids let out a loud groan before complying and started heading towards their assigned rooms. He turned around to Elise again. "Come sleep in my room tonight." She nodded before she started walking into the rooms, tucking in the smaller children.

"Ashton, Luke," Alex called out. Two scruffy headed boys poked their heads from around a door, a look of mischief hiding in their eyes.

"Yes?" They drawled out.

"Elise and I are leaving soon and you'll be next to look after the two kids. In two weeks we will start teaching you how to care for them properly so they don't die."

They let out a grin before slowly seeping back into their room, hopefully not setting up a prank for the following morning. Alex sighed quietly before walking back into his room to see Elise lying on her back, her eyes wide open.

He laid himself next to her, grabbing her hand.

"When we leave this place, will you marry me?" he whispered to her quietly. Her breathing halted for a moment.

"Yes."

The mother of the orphaned children, Sarah Partky, left the hospital a few hours after the two children were taken away. Her friend was waiting for her in the parking lot, expecting to see two bundles of joy in her arms.

There weren't.

"Where are they?" her friend asked. Sarah's eyes filled with tears and she ran into her friends arms, collapsing in them.

"To an orphanage. I can't do anything for them in this state," her friend pulled back in shock.

"What are you going to do now than?"

Sarah brought her shoulders to their full height, wiping away stray tears. "I'll find a job, save the money and get them back."

* * *

**Welcome to Jackson's Nightmare. This is the prequel to Shadows of The Past: The Blue Jays. The trailer for Book 1 is currently in progress and you will be provided the details when it is finished, so share it to your friends. Please leave a comment on how you liked the chapter and there will be more coming your way. Thanks guys.**


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